Light cruiser stellar. Flying the Star Trek: Star Trek Starships

In this series of articles, we will try to evaluate the project of domestic light cruisers of the Svetlana type, comparing it with similar ships of the leading fleets of the world, and we will also figure out how justified the post-war completion of ships of this type was.

Light cruiser "Profintern", aka "Red Crimea", nee "Svetlana"

We will consider the creation of light cruisers of the Svetlana type from a slightly different angle and try to figure out why these cruisers were created at all and why ships of this class were built in other countries. By doing this, we will be able to assess how successful shipbuilding engineers have been in their designs.

Unfortunately, the sources contain a lot of conflicting information about the Svetlanas. We will not try to dot all the "i", but still consider the main "strangeness" in terms of the tactical and technical characteristics of the cruisers, because without this the comparison with foreign ships cannot be correct.

It should be noted that not any light cruisers should be considered an analogue of the Svetlana in other fleets, but only those that carried an armored belt. This was a fundamental difference from armored light cruisers. As the experience of the Russo-Japanese War (and not only it) showed, only the armored deck with bevels does not give the ship the required degree of protection. Of course, the armored deck is useful if only because it protects the cars and boilers of the cruiser from fragments and other effects of shells exploding in the hull. But it does not at all prevent the flow of water into the ship when the latter receives damage in the waterline area. The developers of the “carapace” armored deck assumed that since its bevels would be attached to the hull below sea level, a projectile that hit the waterline or even a little lower would explode on the armor. And, although the board will be perforated, there will still be no serious flooding.

But this was an erroneous point of view. As practice has shown, in this case, the armor from a strong blow and concussion moved away from the mounts, or the mount of the armor plates at the side “lost” it. In any case, armored cruisers received almost as extensive flooding as if the ship had no armor at all. Suffice it to recall the cruiser "Varyag". He received four waterline hits on the port side.

As a result, the cruiser acquired such a "chic" roll that there was no question of any continuation of the battle.

By the way, the above photo is highly recommended for viewing by everyone who reproaches the Varyag commander V.F. Rudnev that he did not go for a breakthrough again.

Cruisers whose sides are armored do not have these problems. They don't get any serious flooding, rolls, and don't lose speed when hit at the waterline, unless they're hit by heavy shells that cruiser armor can't resist. Thus, the armored belt gives the light cruiser a fundamental advantage over its armored “brother”, which is so significant that it makes one think about separating “armored” light cruisers into a separate class of ships.

Russian "Svetlana" received an armored board. Except Russian Empire, "armored" light cruisers were built only by England, Germany and Austria-Hungary. Surprisingly, each of the four countries had its own concept of light cruisers, and these concepts in no case completely coincided.

The domestic MGSH for light cruisers set the following tasks:
1. Intelligence.
2. Sentinel and guard service.
3. Actions against destroyers; support for their destroyers, participation in the development of success.
4. Single battle with enemy cruisers of the same type.
5. Setting minefields in enemy waters.

The primary task of the Russian cruiser was to serve with the squadron, protect it from enemy destroyers and bring its own destroyers into the attack, but this does not mean that ships of this type should not have acted on communications at all. They were not cruisers in the classical sense of the word, because they were not intended for raiding in the oceans and remote sea areas. But at the same time, it was assumed that ships of the Svetlana type would participate in active mine laying and interrupt enemy shipping together with destroyers, i.e. to act against enemy communications within the Baltic (and for the Black Sea series, respectively, the Black) Sea. Cruisers of the Svetlana type were not conceived as "killer cruisers", but it was assumed that in a one-on-one battle, a domestic cruiser should still have an advantage, or at least not be inferior to enemy ships of the same class.

Very close to the Russian concept was the Austro-Hungarian one. We can say that she repeated the domestic understanding of the light cruiser in everything, with one exception - the Austro-Hungarians believed that "tanks do not fight tanks" and considered only destroyers as opponents for their cruisers. Well, if suddenly enemy cruisers still meet, then it was necessary to go under protection heavy ships. At the same time, the armored belt was just supposed to ensure that a random projectile would not knock down the “Austrian” in retreat.

Germany. A distinctive feature of her concept was that of all countries she alone provided for her light cruisers to destroy enemy trade on ocean communications. The Germans wanted to get a universal cruiser capable of serving with the squadron, leading destroyers, operating in the ocean, and, if necessary, fighting British ships of their class.

Unlike the Germans, the British preferred specialization to universalism, but some explanation is needed here. After Russo-Japanese War the British considered that, in addition to full-fledged armored cruisers, they would only need scout cruisers designed to lead destroyers and reconnaissance. No other tasks (actions on communications or battles with enemy cruisers) were assigned to the scouts.

However, the famous John Arbuthnot Fisher, when he was the first sea lord, considered that small cruisers had completely outlived their own. The British admiral assumed that the light cruiser was too unstable an artillery platform and that large destroyers would cope with reconnaissance tasks, which, due to their size, would not need leaders. As for the battle with enemy cruisers, then, according to J. Fisher, this was a task for battlecruisers.

But this idea of ​​​​Fischer was not crowned with success. An attempt to build a large destroyer (the famous Swift became it) led to the creation of a ship with a displacement of over 2,000 tons, which, however, in terms of its capabilities, with the exception of speed, was inferior to scout cruisers in everything. Yes, and with speed, everything was completely ambiguous, because, although the ship developed 35 knots, the fuel consumption was fantastic. Thus, the creation of a ship that combined the functionality of a destroyer and a cruiser failed, and the British fleet returned to the construction of scouts, and their tasks remained the same.

But later the British drew attention to the danger posed to their ocean transport routes from the increasingly numerous German light cruisers. Armored cruisers could not effectively counteract them, because they were relatively slow-moving, linear - because they turned out to be very expensive and could not be built as massively as armored cruisers used to be, and scouts - because they were too weak for this.

A way out was found in the creation of "protectors of trade" - light cruisers of the "town" (city) type, which had sufficient seaworthiness and firepower to counter the German cruisers in the ocean. At the same time, the British did not abandon the construction of scout cruisers, which, in the end, received an armored belt and fairly powerful artillery comparable to that of the "cities". We can say that the two lines of English cruiser building, "cities" and scouts, eventually merged into a single type of fast, armored and well-armed light cruiser.

The Russian Svetlanas were laid down in 1913. For comparison with them, we will take the following light cruisers:

1. "Koenigsberg", Germany. The best Kaiser light cruisers, the first of which was laid down in 1914 and which were laid down through 1916. Strictly speaking, it would be more correct to choose a Wittelsbach-class cruiser, because according to the date of the bookmark, it is “of the same age” as the Svetlana, but, in the end, the difference per year is not so great.

2. "Chester", UK. The last representative of the British "cities", founded in 1914.

3. "Caroline" - the "descendant" of the scout cruisers and the first representative of the light cruisers of the "C" type, revered in the English fleet as quite successful. Also laid down in 1914.

4. "Danae", UK. The most advanced light cruiser of Great Britain during the First World War, the first of which was laid down in 1916. Of course, it is not the same age as the Svetlana by the date of the laying, but it is still interesting to consider the ideas of the Svetlana against the background of the British cruiser that absorbed military experience.

5. "Admiral Spaun", Austria-Hungary. I must say that this cruiser is completely unsuitable for comparison with the ships listed above. It was laid down much earlier than all of them, in 1908, and 5-6 years for the then pace of scientific and technological progress in naval affairs, this is a whole era. But this is the only type of armored light cruiser of Austria-Hungary (and also one of the most successful light cruisers in the world at the time of entry into service), so we will not ignore it.

The main tactical and technical characteristics of the cruisers are shown in the table below.

The values ​​in brackets for the displacement of the Svetlana-class cruisers arose for the simple reason that the displacement of this cruiser is not entirely clear. Often for "Svetlan" 6800 tons of normal and 7200 tons of full displacement are indicated, but these figures raise a certain doubt, and sources, alas, enchantingly confuse the matter.

Take, for example, a very detailed monograph by A. Chernyshov. Stalin's Guards Cruisers: Red Caucasus, Red Crimea, Chervona Ukraine. On page 16 in the table "Comparative characteristics of cruiser projects for the Black and Baltic Seas" we read that 6800 tons is the normal displacement of cruisers of the Svetlana type (Baltic). This is very similar to the truth and follows logically from the history of the design of the ship. However, a page earlier, where the respected author gave the mass load of the Svetlana cruiser, for some reason the normal displacement was calculated within 6950 tons. A little further, on page 69, the author, apparently, tried to somehow reconcile this discrepancy and indicated that 6 950 tons is the normal displacement of a cruiser, and 6,800 is standard.

It is well known that the standard displacement is the weight of a fully equipped ship with a crew, but without reserves of fuel, lubricants and drinking water in tanks. Gross displacement is equal to standard plus full reserves of fuel, lubricants and potable water, while normal takes into account only half of these reserves.

In calculating the mass load of the Svetlana cruiser, A. Chernyshov indicates the presence of 500 tons of fuel, therefore, it can be argued that with a normal displacement of 6,950 tons, the standard should be lower than 6,450 tons, but not 6,800 tons. And in general, the term “standard displacement” in military shipbuilding appeared only in 1922 as a result of the ratification of the Washington Naval Agreement, and before that normal and full displacement were used everywhere, but not standard and nothing like that can be contained in the documents of the Russian Empire.

The next mystery is the total displacement of the ship in the amount of 7,200 tons. It is only 400 tons more than the normal one (6,800 tons), although it should be at least 500 tons, since the fuel mass of 500 tons is accepted in the normal displacement and it should be ½ full supply of fuel. However, if we look at the fuel data, we find another tangle of contradictions.

A. Chernyshev on page 15 reports that, in accordance with the draft design, the normal fuel supply should have been 500 tons, including 130 tons of coal and 370 tons of oil. The total fuel supply was 1,167 tons (probably the same 130 tons of coal and 1,037 tons of oil). In this case, the total fuel supply differed from the normal one by 667 tons and one would expect a total displacement of 7,467 - 7,617 tons (with a normal displacement of 6,800 - 6,950 tons). Later, on page 64, A. Chernyshev points out that the figures for fuel reserves announced above are correct for the Profintern cruiser in 1928 (i.e., for the completed Svetlana), but literally right there (on page 69) he refutes himself, reporting a total fuel supply of 1,290 tons for the original Svetlana project, 1,660 tons (!) For the Profintern in 1928, and only 950 tons (!!) for the Krasny Krym cruiser. But these three completely different cruisers are one and the same ship: the Svetlana laid down in 1913 was completed and transferred to the fleet in 1928 under the new name Profintern, which in 1939 was replaced by the new name Red Crimea!

What is the reason for such discrepancies? Most likely, upon receipt terms of reference domestic engineers developed a draft design of the “Svetlana-class cruiser with a displacement of 6,800 tons”. But in the future, as is often the case, as a more detailed project was developed, the displacement of the ship went up. At the same time, it was completed according to a modified project, with additional equipment, and, of course, its displacement increased even more.
In view of the foregoing, we can assume that, as of 1913, the normal and full displacement of the cruisers laid down in the Baltic was not 6,800 and 7,200 tons, respectively, but 6,950 and 7,617 tons, which was reflected in the TTX table of the compared cruisers.

Another mystery of our cruisers was their range. Surprisingly, but the fact is that reference books give values ​​that differ significantly! For example, the same A. Chernyshev gives for the "Red Crimea" only some 1,227-1,230 miles at 12 knots, but for the "Profintern" and A. Chernyshov and I.F. Tsvetkov indicate 3,350 miles at 14 knots! The answer here most likely lies in the fact that for the “Red Crimea” data are used as of 1944, when, due to the war and the lack of proper care, the power plant “surrendered” greatly.

According to the draft design, the Svetlana-class cruisers were calculated for a range of 2,000 miles at a speed of 24 knots. It is likely that something, as always, did not go according to plan, and the displacement of the ship nevertheless increased during the design, so 3750 miles for the Svetlana and 3350 miles for the Profintern at a speed of 14 knots look reasonable, if not underestimated.

We will return to this issue when we compare the Svetlana power plant with the power plant of foreign cruisers, but later. And the next article will be devoted to comparing the artillery of these cruisers.

To be continued…

The number of starship models in the Star Trek universe is perhaps comparable to the number of stars in the sky. Even today, a lot of all sorts of devices fly into space from Earth. And what will happen in two hundred years, and even in the presence of dozens of intelligent races actively exploring space?

Although people were not the first to go to the stars, they did it without any outside help. Having mastered flying at light speeds, our descendants were able to establish the first contact, enter the galactic community on an equal footing and repeatedly visit places where no human has gone before.

"Phoenix"

The name of the first and most famous terrestrial starship is more than symbolic: it literally rose from the ashes of World War III. The creator of the Phoenix, Zephram Cochrane, designed it on the basis of an intercontinental missile - the material at hand left over from the time of the nuclear nightmare. Phoenix, with three crew members on board, launched on April 5, 2063 and soon became a member of the first modern history human contact with an alien race - Vulcans.

NX

"Enterprise-NX-01"

Year of creation: 2151

Captain: Jonathan Archer

After the success of the Phoenix, earthlings began to think about a serial starship. The first ships to explore space around the solar system, became the NX-class starships. The seven-deck ship was equipped with an experimental matter transmitter "along the beam" (transporter). In the arsenal there were plasma and phase weapons, and in case such weapons were found in a potential enemy, the hull was armored and polarized.

The NX-class ships could travel at warp-5 speeds, about 125 times the speed of light. It was on these spaceships that the earthlings made the main discoveries of the 22nd century and established contact with many other races. The last NX was dismantled only in 2223.

Federation Starships

Having erased political borders on Earth, people brought the desire for unification into space as well. Already in 2161, on the initiative of mankind, the Federation was formed, and the creation of new starships became common for all intelligent races included in it. In honor of the first of the NX, many of the lead ships of the new series also began to be called Enterprises.

constitution

"Enterprise-NCC-1701"

Year of creation: 2245

Captains: Robert April, Christopher Pike, James T. Kirk, Spock

The Constitution is probably the most famous class of starship in the history of the Federation. At the beginning of the 23rd century, it was rightfully considered the fastest and most powerful ship in Starfleet: twenty-one decks, a shuttle hangar and an engine capable of accelerating a starship to warp-6.45 speed. The Constitution-class ships were intended for long-term exploratory missions without external support.

"Enterprise-NCC-1701" (modified)

Year of modification: 2271

Captain: James T. Kirk

After a five-year mission, the Enterprise was heavily modified with a complete replacement of the warp nacelles, most of the skin and internal equipment. Ship speed increased to warp-7.2. In 2286, the Enterprise-NCC-1701-A appeared, outwardly not different from the previous version, but with the “stuffing” updated according to the latest technology.

Miranda

The Miranda class was developed at the end of the 23rd century primarily as a scientific ship, capable, however, of fending for itself. In battle, starships of this class are used as support ships and as a means of combating similar enemy ships. In over ninety years of service, the Miranda class has gone through three major and many minor upgrades.

Constellation

The Constellation began production in 2283, when Starfleet needed fast, powerful starships that could quickly reach the outer reaches of the rapidly expanding Federation. The four warp nacelles were supposed to give the Constellation a substantial increase in speed and a 15% improvement in efficiency at medium speeds. However, in an attempt to achieve everything at once, the developers made many mistakes, which were then repeatedly revealed in operation.

Excelsior

The history of the Excelsior class is full of rewrites. Initially, engines were installed on the ship new system, transwarp, but their launch was supposed to lead to the explosion of the nacelles. Only an accident saved the spaceship from destruction. After much work on this problem, an upgraded ship was introduced in 2286, but its launch was also unsuccessful. Eventually, Starfleet Command canceled Project Transwarp entirely, and the starship went into space with conventional warp drives.

Ambassador

"Enterprise-NCC-1701-C"

Year of creation: 2344

Captain: Rachel Gerrett

Ambassador was designed as a diplomatic and at the same time a combat ship. There were twenty-eight large laboratories on board the starship, which made the class convenient for research work. The Ambassadors were also equipped with new high-precision sensors and new weapons such as phaser batteries and high-speed torpedo tubes. The production of ships of this class was suspended in 2357, as new class- Galaxy. A total of sixty-eight Ambassadors were built.

Galaxy

"Enterprise-NCC-1701-D"

Year of creation: 2364

Captain: Jean-Luc Picard

The Galaxy project, which started in 2347, was supposed to replace outdated models. In general, the Galaxy-class ships were similar to their Nebula-class counterparts, but were significantly larger. The internal area of ​​the ship was 800,000 square meters. There were many laboratories on board, therefore, along with the main mission, the starship could perform Scientific research. The ship used Newest technologies- such as holodeck, sensor system, improved photon torpedoes. "Galaktika" flew at a speed of warp-9.2, and its "saucer" could be separated from the engineering part.

Nebula

The Nebula class was launched in the 2350s. The project was developed in parallel with the Galaxy, so identical systems were installed on them. This has greatly improved the Nebula class. On ships of this class, the engineering corps is installed directly behind the "dish" in order to save two hundred meters in length. In operation, the starships have proven to be excellent and have played a significant role in the science and research programs of Starfleet. The upgraded Nebula-class starship has a maximum warp-9.9 speed.

Defiant

The Defiant was developed in 2365 as a ship capable of taking on Borg ships. The project called for new weapon modules such as quantum torpedoes and a pulsed phaser cannon. It was supposed to create a small and hardy ship with the highest possible gunpower. However, the project did not justify itself and was closed.

Intrepid

The Intrepid class was commissioned in 2369. In addition to their streamlined shape, this class of starships featured variable warp nacelle geometry and the most modern systems weapons. New bioneural circuitry allowed the ship's sensors to communicate with computers at extremely high speeds. The ship was able to land on the surface of a planet or another cosmic body, which made it independent of the operation of shuttles or a conveyor.

Since Intrepid-class starships could not carry a large number of torpedoes and power powerful phaser batteries, Starfleet used them as scouts. But development was stopped for a long time when it became known that the ship of this class USS Voyager disappeared on the first mission.

Sovereign

"Enterprise-NCC-1701-E"

Year of creation: 2372

Captain: Jean-Luc Picard

Development of the Sovereign class began in 2338. It was originally planned to make it similar to the Ambassador, but greatly increase the combat power. During upgrades in 2350, 2355, and 2360, many Galaxy-class systems, such as nacelles and the warp core, were incorporated into Sovereign. The decisive event for the launch of Sovereign into mass production was the first contact with the Borg in 2365.

The starship's main weapons were Type XII phaser batteries, which allowed for 60% more powerful fire than Galaxy-class phasers. Sovereign's defense system was designed specifically to resist high energy force beams and phase polarized particles- weapons used by the Borg and the Dominion. The ship's speed was warp-9.99.

star bases

For years, Starfleet was heavily dependent on space bases to build, repair, and resupply ships. If at the beginning of the era of space exploration, star bases were nothing more than transit points, then by the middle of the 23rd century, people realized the need to create large bases, essentially small orbital cities. In the 24th century, the production of ships was switched to star docks, and the vacant interior space of the stations was used to improve the living conditions of the crew. Besides, space stations form the defense network of the Federation.

Space dock in Earth orbit.

Deep Space Nine

Year of creation: 2351

One of the most interesting stations operated by the Federation is the unique Deep Space Nine. It was created by Cardassia in orbit around the planet Bajor to process minerals. When the occupation of Bajoran ended, the Cardassians abandoned the station, and the Bajorans asked the Federation for help in running it. space object. And when an artificial wormhole created by an unknown race formed near Deep Space Nine, the station became the main stopping point for starships flying into the Gamma Quadrant.

Ships of the Klingon Empire

The starships of this warlike race are a match for them: agile, armed to the teeth, and well-protected. The Klingons prefer to give the internal premises not for laboratories, but for barracks for assault squads.

K'T'Inga

A bastion of military power for the Klingon fleet in the late 23rd century, the K'T'Inga class entered service in 2269. The ship carried two high-yield photon torpedo launchers and new disruptors developed for the project. A powerful warp core and new nacelles made it possible to noticeably increase the starship's speed and maneuverability in various flight modes. The class was repeatedly upgraded, and its modifications remained in the Imperial Navy until the 2370s.

bird of prey

For " cold war» Between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, many Klingon ships worked as scouts, moving through Federation territory and attacking weakly defended objects. In this role, Bird of Prey-class starships were very dangerous to the Federation, as, like similar Romulan ships, they were equipped with invisibility generators. However, the advantage of "stealth" was lost after the invention of the Federation of homing photon torpedoes.

The appearance of the Bird of Prey is typical of Klingon ships. The main torpedo tube is located at the forward point of the hull, behind it are the command cabin and cabins. The rear of the ship housed the engineering and cargo compartments, as well as an emergency torpedo tube. The wings allow the ship to move in the atmosphere, and a landing gear is also provided. The Bird of Prey thus became the first warp-powered ship capable of landing on planets.

B'rel

Outwardly indistinguishable from Bird of Prey, B'Rel was three times longer, which puts it in the category of cruisers. Thanks to the increase in size, the designers placed on the ship two more main and three emergency torpedo launchers, increased the number of disruptor guns from two to eight, strengthened the armor and modernized other systems. The B'Rel class entered service in 2327.

Vor'Cha

The Vor'Cha was intended to be a worthy successor to the K'T'Inga class, as well as the Klingons' answer to the Federation Ambassador. The project was approved in 2332 and immediately ran into a number of technical difficulties. While they were being overcome, Starfleet began designing a new Nebula class that promised to surpass the Vor'Cha in many ways. The Klingons had no choice but to return to the original drawings and finalize the project. It was supposed to strengthen the armor in the area of ​​​​the warp core, gondolas and platforms with weapons, as well as create a rapid-fire torpedo system.

Construction of the redesigned Vor'Cha class began in 2345. The new starships entered service in 2351, three years before the first Nebula was launched. Initially, the Klingon vessel was more powerful than the Federation counterpart, but soon after the Nebula class was upgraded with more lethal weapons, including an antimatter projector, the Klingons lost the upper hand. The appearance of the Galaxy in the Federation finally changed the balance of power, and the Vor'Cha class began to rapidly become obsolete.

Negh'Var

Already the first vessel of the class, built in the 2360s, differed from previous Klingon starships in enhanced protection and armament. The Negh'Var class borrows its shield system from the Klingon orbital platforms, and its dual duranium/tritium hull is reinforced with twenty-five centimeters of high-strength armour. The cruiser carries enough weapons and supplies on board to allow its assault squads to fight non-stop on planetary surfaces for up to ten days. If necessary, Negh'Var can support ground forces with orbital bombardment or teleportation of additional weapons. Launched into mass production in 2371, the Negh'Var is considered to be the flagship of the Klingon fleet.

Vessels of the Romulan Star Empire

The Romulan fleet consisted of a wide variety of ships: scouts, research vessels, even remotely controlled starships. But it was military models that brought the greatest glory to this Empire.

bird of prey

One of the most interesting models of the 2260s, the Bird of Prey was the first warship to feature a stealth generator. Its other advantage was its firepower. Cons - low speed and limited range. A force field that selectively deflects light and other impulses (such as radar signals) requires huge amount energy, so in stealth mode, Bird of Prey can neither open fire nor raise shields.

The Klingons had a similar class of ships thanks to a deal with the Romulans. In exchange for stealth technology, the Romulan Empire received several D-7 heavy cruisers, which quickly became the core of its fleet.

D'Deridex

The outwardly overwhelming size and power of the D'Deridex-class ships are deceptive. In most of these starships, the interior space is occupied by troops and auxiliary equipment. While impressive, D'Deridex disruptors are vastly outmatched by Starfleet's phaser batteries. Over the past few years, the Federation has also made significant strides in countering stealth technology.

Vulcan Starships

The first alien spacecraft humans encountered was the Vulcan T'plana-hath. He landed at the Phoenix launch pad, and so the first contact of the two races took place on Earth. Vulcan starships are distinguished by their elongated hulls and ring-shaped warp drive nacelles. While the cylindrical nacelle used by the Federation fleet has been found to be more efficient, Vulcan gondolas remain competitive.

Surak

Surak-class ships dominated the Vulcan fleet of the 22nd century and far outnumbered those of the humans of that time. The starship could accelerate to warp-6.5 and was equipped with a force beam and deflector shields.

Sh'raan

Similar in appearance to the Surak class, these starships were larger and better armed. Warp-7 Sh'Raan is the fastest Vulcan ship of the 22nd century.

Geometric bodies borg

Although the Borg also had less exotic starships, the race's stellar expansion is primarily associated with cubes and spheres.

Borg Cube

These colossal starships are at the forefront of the cyborg invasion. The cube is able to assimilate everything in its path: metal, organic life forms, technology are fully integrated into the Borg ship in a few hours, replenishing its fuel and other resources. The cube simply breaks the enemy starships into pieces, and the planets are completely devastated.

All services are evenly distributed throughout the ship. The starship is protected by an adaptive shield system: you never know how powerful weapons can penetrate them. Decentralized systems allow the ship to withstand severe damage: the cube continues to function if 80% of the ship is destroyed. And even if the main functions of the ship are disrupted, the recovery systems based on nanotechnology will work. And for the full control of the cube, several crew members are enough.

At the same time, weak points of the cube were discovered over time. For example, when constantly bombarded by particles, the ship's central power grid can be set to reverse cycle, after which the cube will self-destruct.

Borg Orb

The sphere is much smaller than the cube - about 500-700 meters in diameter - and noticeably more vulnerable. These ships are placed inside the cube and leave it through the central hatch. Spheres better adapt to rapidly changing conditions and become necessary in emergency situations. Judging by the fact that they carry light weapons and are not as well protected, it can be assumed that the standard spheres are intended for research or reconnaissance tasks.

* * *

Now you imagine what kind of controlled objects plow the expanses of space in the 24th century, and you will not feel like an uneducated redneck if you suddenly live up to this time. Well, if you expect to take the exam for a space pilot in the distant future, you can always find the information you are interested in - from the color of the parking lights on Romulan cruisers to the capacity of the Deep Space Nine in tribbles - on the World Wide Web.

Starships and space exploration have always been one of the main themes of science fiction. Over the years, writers and filmmakers have tried to fantasize what spaceships are capable of and dreamed of what they could become in the future. In this review, the most interesting and iconic starships that have been encountered in science fiction.

1 Serenity

series "Firefly"
The ship "Serenity" ("Serenity") under the leadership of Captain Malcolm Reynolds could be seen in the TV series Firefly ("Firefly"). The Serenity is a Firefly-class ship first acquired by Reynolds shortly after the galactic civil war. The defining feature of the ship is the lack of weapons on it. When the crew gets into trouble, they must use all their ingenuity to get out of it.

2.Derelict

Alien franchise
Named "Derelict" (Abandoned) and figured under code name Origin, alien spaceship was found on LV-426 in the Alien movie. It was first discovered by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, after which it was investigated by the Nostromo team. No one knows how he got to the planet or who piloted him. The only remains that could be a potential pilot were a petrified creature. This sinister ship housed xenomorph eggs.

3.Discovery 1

movie "Space Odyssey"
The 2001 film is a science fiction classic, and the Discovery 1 spaceship in it is almost as iconic. Built for a manned mission to Jupiter, Discovery 1 was unweaponized but had one of the most advanced artificial intelligence systems known to man(HAL 9000).

4 Battlestar Galactica

movie "Battlestar Galactica"
"Battlestar Galactica" from the movie of the same name ("Battlestar Galactica") has the design of a real killer and legendary history. It was considered a relic and was to be decommissioned, but became humanity's sole protector after the Cylon attack on the Twelve Colonies.

5. Bird of Prey

Star Trek franchise
The Bird of Prey was a warship of the Klingon Empire in Star Trek. While its firepower varied from ship to ship, it was common for the Birds to use photon torpedoes. They were considered the most dangerous due to the fact that they were equipped with a cloaking device.

6 Normandy SR-2

video game " mass effect 2"
The Normandy SR-2 has a particularly cool exterior design. As the successor to the SR-1, it was built to help Commander Shepard stop kidnappings by the Collector race. The ship is equipped with high-tech weapons and defenses and is constantly improved throughout the game.

7 USS Enterprise

Star Trek franchise
How can you not include in this list "USS Enterprise" ("Enterprise") from "Star Trek" ("Star Trek"). Of course, many fans of this saga will be interested in which version of the ship to choose. Naturally, it will be the unique NCC-1701 under the captaincy of James Kirk himself.

8 Imperial Star Destroyer

Star Wars franchise
The Imperial Star Destroyer was part of the vast Imperial fleet that maintained control and order throughout the galaxy. With huge size and large quantity weapons, for years it symbolized the dominating power of the Empire.

9. Tie Fighter

Star Wars franchise
The Tie Fighter is one of the coolest and most unique ships in the galaxy. While it lacks shields, hyperdrive, or even life support systems, its fast drive and maneuverability make it a hard target for enemies to take down.

10. X-Wing

Star Wars franchise
Used by some of the best fighter pilots in the galaxy, the Tie Fighter is the starship of choice for the Rebels in " star wars". It was he who played a key role in the battle of Yavin and the battle of Endor. The wings of this fighter, armed with four laser cannons and proton torpedoes, were laid out in the shape of the letter "X" when attacking.

11. Milano

Guardians of the Galaxy franchise
Milano in Guardians of the Galaxy starship class "M-Ship", which was used by Star-Lord to find a mysterious orb and sell it in order to get rid of Yonda and his gang. He later played a key role in the Battle of Xandar. Star-Lord named the ship after a childhood friend, Alyssa Milano.

12. USCSS Nostromo

Star Wars franchise
The space tug "USCSS Nostromo" ("Nostromo"), captained by Captain Arthur Dallas, explored Derelict, which led to the possible birth of a single xenomorph.

13 Millennium Falcon

Star Wars franchise
The Millennium Falcon is, without a doubt, the best spacecraft in all of science fiction. Its super cool design, worn appearance, incredible speed, and the fact that it's piloted by Han Solo sets it apart from the rest. Lando Calrissian, who lost the ship to Han Solo, said, "It's the fastest piece of junk in the galaxy."

14. Trimaxion Drone

Film "Flight of the Navigator"
The Trimaxion Drone is the spacecraft in the movie Flight of the Navigator. It is piloted by an artificial intelligence computer and looks like a chrome shell. The ability of the ship is quite outstanding, it is able to fly faster speed light and travel through time.

15. Slave I

Star Wars franchise
Slave I (Slave 1) is a Firebrand-31-class patrol and attack ship used by the famous Boba Fett in Star Wars. In The Empire Strikes Back, Slave I brought Han Solo frozen in carbonite to Jabba the Hutta. Most characteristic feature"Slave I" is its vertical position during flight and horizontal during landing.

BONUS

In continuation of the topic, a story about. It's hard to believe this is reality.